“ The fire that burns in our fireplaces is the eternal fire, it is the sun here with us, lighting our way. There may be a time when we’re going to have to wake you up again and ask you to help us. They’re thanking Grandfather for helping us and saying, “Now, you’ve earned your rest. They do it very gently, because they’re not putting the fire out, they’re putting Grandfather to sleep. They don’t just take water and douse it all at once. “And then, when our firemen put the flames out, they do it very gently. We’re very gentle with it, like an old person. He doesn’t shove the wood around because dishonoring the fire has its penalties - it can warm us, give us energy and cook for us, but it can also burn us, our loved ones or our homes. “When a fireman handles the fire he handles it very gently because he’s handling an old person. Non-Indians have a fireman who puts the fire out. To be a fireman in our ceremonies is a position of great honor. When that wood burns up it turns gray, like an old man, a Grandfather, and we give it the same respect we give our elders. “We also say fire came to us a long time ago so it’s our Grandfather. Then the tree is taken down and when we put a flame to it that sun is now here with us in the form of fire. The sun shines on the trees for days, weeks, months and years and the wood absorbs that sunlight. In our Indian way, we say the fire is the sun here with us. This is what Bear Heart says about Sacred Fire in The Wind Is My Mother : When camp was moved, this keeper would carry the fire in a small log, and when camp was set up again, each lodge would start its fire from this central source.” To emphasize the sacredness of this central fire, it should be recalled that, when the Sioux were still nomadic, a man was appointed to be the keeper of the fire, and he would usually have his tipi at the center of the camping circle. “For the Sioux, the fire at the center represent Wakan-Tanka within the world. 30, the following is shared about the sacredness of fire: In The Sacred Pipe: Black Elks Account of the Seven Rites of the Oglala Sioux (The Civilization of the American Indian Series), fn. Or were the spirits of the land and the fire protecting that lodge and home because this little house of prayer had been built in a respectful manner and held many ceremonies? Elders speak about Sacred Fire The fire split in two, and went around the lodge, horse arena and house, before coming back together on the far side. That fire moved up the hillside toward my friend’s house very rapidly, and it appeared the house would be consumed along with so many others on the hillside. The following January, a devastating fire moved through the Malibu mountains. It was built in the traditional way, with prayer and respect and offerings of tobacco. In 2002, a friend put up a community purification lodge on his property in Malibu, California. What is more relaxing than sitting and watching a fire? Does fire have a consciousness? Just as the sun provides warmth and light, and allows growing things to flourish, fire warms our homes and cooks our food, and lights our way in the dark.Įven without looking for deep, spiritual meaning, fire is certainly mesmerizing. #The preservation of the sacred fire of liberty how to#When we learn how to communicate with it, our lives are enriched. It is untouchable yet touches us with it’s warmth and light. I don’t believe I have ever been to a Native American ceremony that did not incorporate Sacred Fire.įire is a gift from the Creator. “The Sacred Fire used to heat the rocks represents the eternal fire that burns at the center of the universe.” Dr. 26 Sacred Fire: the manifestation of Spirit
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